Tag: Transport

The first model of the Hyperloop that will link Dubai to Abu Dhabi in under 12 minutes will be unveiled in Dubai as part of the UAE Innovation Month. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Virgin Hyperloop One have also identified the routes for operating the Hyperloop. Mattar Al Tayer …

The first model of the Hyperloop that will link Dubai to Abu Dhabi in under 12 minutes will be unveiled in Dubai as part of the UAE Innovation Month.

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Virgin Hyperloop One have also identified the routes for operating the Hyperloop.

Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA, said they have made “considerable progress in the technical, engineering and economic feasibility study of the project”.

The system is designed to transport about 10,000 passengers per hour in both directions at speeds up to 1,200kmph.

MITCHELL, S.D.- An application for the ride-sharing company Lyft is driving debate in Mitchell. The service just started up in town, and a man convicted of attempted murder and helping with a kidnapping in 1992 wants to be among the first lyft drivers. He says he did his time in jail and 26 years later …

MITCHELL, S.D.- An application for the ride-sharing company Lyft is driving debate in Mitchell.

The service just started up in town, and a man convicted of attempted murder and helping with a kidnapping in 1992 wants to be among the first lyft drivers.

He says he did his time in jail and 26 years later wants to get on with his life.

“I drove taxi 7 years ago in sioux falls, never had a problem, no one said a word and now all of the sudden it’s a big deal,” said Joseph Novak.

However some are concerned and not sure how he got approved, so we looked into what steps a person must take to be accepted as a driver.

There are certain guidelines a person must follow depending on their city. In Mitchell a potential driver has to be approved by city council for a taxi cab general licence. Mitchell City Attorney Justin Johnson said legally Novak passed.

“Our city ordinance for vehicle for hire, which is your taxis, limos that kind of stuff is more focused on vehicle safety and insurance requirements that kind of thing we don’t focus on the individual drivers.”

They must also follow South Dakota’s laws.

“When Uber and Lyft, those types of companies were looking to come into South Dakota the state passed a few laws to help facilitate that process.”

The law states you can’t be convicted of a felony in the past seven years. Novak was convicted back in 1992.

Then they go through a background check with Lyft, which Novak tells KDLT he passed.

On lyfts website they include a list of what would disqualify someone including felony, violent crime, drug related offenses and sexual offenses. He says he was told by Lyft that the South Dakota law applies.

Novak says he’s done everything required to become a driver and wants people to know him for the man he is now not the mistake he made years ago.

“Get to know me before you judge me,” said Novak.

Novak says he understand if people don’t feel comfortable riding with him and that’s their choice. He just wants a way to make some extra money.

While Uber and Lyft both charge a base rate similar to taxis, they’ve recently started surcharging due to “higher demand” a lot more often. I flew in tonight and Uber was $47, Lyft $63 and a taxi $36. And the airport wasn’t…

While Uber and Lyft both charge a base rate similar to taxis, they’ve recently started surcharging due to “higher demand” a lot more often. I flew in tonight and Uber was $47, Lyft $63 and a taxi $36. And the airport wasn’t terribly busy…it’s a Wednesday night, for goodness sake. Pay attention to your options and don’t always assume Uber/Lyft are cheaper.

“The Hyperloop is part of RTA’s initiatives for Dubai Future Accelerators. RTA and Virgin Hyperloop One Company have made considerable progress in the technical, engineering and economic feasibility study of the Project. Progress has also been made in identifying the routes for operating the …

The RTA has announced that it will exhibit its initial design of the Hyperloop as part of its participation in the UAE Innovation Month.

The Hyperloop boasts of deluxe interiors, cutting-edge broadcasting and display of information and entertainment materials as well as leather seats.

Mattar Al Tayer, the RTA’s Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, announced that the RTA will also exhibit several initiatives such as autonomous pods, high-frequency express buses, and the Urban Mobility Innovation Index (UMii).

“The launch of these initiatives reflects RTA’s strategy to transform 25% of total journeys in Dubai into driverless transport using different means by 2030. The strategy is focused on integrating public transit means with people’s happiness through the provision of smooth, express and innovative mobility means that support the efforts of ranking the UAE among the top 20 countries in the UMii by 2021,” said Al Tayer.

“The Hyperloop is part of RTA’s initiatives for Dubai Future Accelerators. RTA and Virgin Hyperloop One Company have made considerable progress in the technical, engineering and economic feasibility study of the Project. Progress has also been made in identifying the routes for operating the Hyperloop along with its initial design model, which will be exhibited for the first time in the world,” he added.

The Hyperloop boasts of deluxe interiors, cutting-edge broadcasting and display of information and entertainment materials as well as leather seats. The Hyperloop technology uses an electromagnetic propulsion system to accelerate the movement of goods and services through a vacuum tube. The system is designed to assist the levitation of the capsule slightly off the track within the tube and move it at speed up to 1200 km/hour. Accordingly, the Hyperloop can travel between Dubai and Abu Dhabi in 12 minutes, and lift about 10,000 passengers per hour in both directions.

“When introduced in the future, the Hyperloop technology will impact the town planning and the availability of parking spaces. It will revolutionise people mobility between various destinations in the city, logistical hubs like airports and ports, and shipping patterns,” commented Al Tayer.

In 2017, Lehigh’s Hyperloop club made it to the third phase of the SpaceX Hyperloop competition, which challenges students to design and build a transport pod prototype. Team members submitted a final design package in the fall. Though they soon learned they would not advance to the next round, …

Team members submitted a final design package in the fall. Though they soon learned they would not advance to the next round, they were not disheartened. Instead, the group used it as an opportunity to switch gears.

Raymond Tetyevsky, ’20, a team captain, said Hyperloop pods need specific high-tech rails and tunnels to function, which club members did not have access to, leaving them unsure of how their pod would perform once installed.

“We’ve decided the best thing is to detach ourselves from (Hyperloop) and move on to bigger and better things,” Tetyevsky said. “Something that will make a difference (at Lehigh).”

Alexander Radetsky, ’20, a team captain, said club members spent the last two years developing hyperloop-related pods. They want their next project to be short-term and relevant — something the team canvisualize and implement in the moment.

That’s when an old prospect became a new goal.

The club’s attention was redirected toward a competition it had discovered in September but set aside during the Hyperloop competition.

HeroX’s “GoFly” challenges competitors to create a personal flying device that achieves vertical takeoff and landing, travels a minimum of 20 nautical miles and can carry one person.

“We’ve always been a transportation-oriented club,” Radetsky said. “GoFly is a competition that targets a different form of transportation: aerospace.”

Tetyevsky said the GoFly competition will last about two to three years. The first of three phases — research, development and design of the product — is due April 18.

Gencer Ates, ’19, a team captain, said the team has met tighter deadlines.

The second phase of the competition involves design implementation and phase three is constructing the craft. Once constructed and tested, the prototype will be brought to the location of the competition, which is still undetermined.

Nithin Rajaram, ’20, the club’s engineering and simulation leader, said there is a $2 million cash grand prize and many smaller cash prizes within the three phases. Goals within these phases include creating the quietest, fastest or most innovative design.

In addition to competition goals, team members have their own objectives.

Radetsky said the team would like the prototype to fit in the back of a pickup truck so it can be transported for testing, which could not be done with the Hyperloop.

Tetyevsky said he wants to promote safety.

Although he is excited for the project, Radetsky said the transition will be difficult. He said the flight dynamics for a craft like this are similar to taking off in a helicopter and switching to an airplane, mid-flight.

GoFly is not the only project the club is working on. Tetyevsky said it is also in the early stages of developing a project for Lehigh’s campus.

“We’re designing a new transportation system for Lehigh,” Tetyevsky said. “Something that’s greener, that would eliminate the diesel buses running up and down the Hill all the time, quieter, because those buses make a lot of noise, something quicker and something safer. On icy mornings, that hill is treacherous.”

The team is hoping to get involvement from railway companies in the Bethlehem area that were active in the past. Radetsky said they want the transportation system to be Lehigh-specific.

“It’s going to be a project designed and implemented by students,” Tetyevsky said. “To us, it is very important to build something that is sustainable for the club and for the other engineers that are coming in as freshmen, something that will be passed on well beyond when we leave.”

Because the team is no longer working on the Hyperloop project, the name of the club will be changed.

“It’s not a niche club, it’s not focused on only one particular thing,” Tetyevsky said. “We’re trying to develop (a name) that incorporates not just what we do, but who are.”

As the team’s objectives change, so will the structure.

Ates said that last year, mainly experienced upperclassmen had active roles in the club because they had the skills to design the Hyperloop. Now, the team is implementing a new system that allows all members to participate on at a more equal level.

Rajaram said older club members are now working to teach new members the skills and techniques they need, rather than taking on all the work themselves.

Hyperloop members come from a variety of engineering and business backgrounds, which allows members to work on multiple projects. The interdisciplinary nature of the team, however, was not always seen as a positive thing.

Radetsky said the divide between the business and engineering students was once clear. Now, IBE students oversee and integrate the two sides.

Ates said that anyone can join the club, regardless of major.

“As to what we can accomplish, we realize — which I think was a fault of the group before the restructure — how much people are capable of until you let them go,” Tetyevsky said. “You tell them less and they’ll give you more.”